Ultrasonic device unit, ultrasonic probe, and ultrasonic apparatus

ABSTRACT

An ultrasonic device unit includes an ultrasonic device, and a flexible printed wiring board to be connected to the ultrasonic device, the flexible printed wiring board is provided with a device connection to which the ultrasonic device is connected, a first connector including external connection terminals to be connected to the ultrasonic device, a second connector including external connection terminals to be connected to the ultrasonic device, a first inflective part adapted to link the device connection and the first connector to each other, and a second inflective part adapted to link the device connection and the second connector to each other, and a distance between the device connection and the first connector in the first inflective part and a distance between the device connection and the first connector in the second inflective part are different from each other.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic device unit, anultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic apparatus.

2. Related Art

In the past, there has been known an ultrasonic device unit having anultrasonic element array in which ultrasonic elements for performingtransmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are arranged (see, e.g.,JP-A-2016-92592 (Document 1)).

The ultrasonic device unit of Document 1 is provided with the ultrasonicdevice having terminals corresponding respectively to the ultrasonicelements, and the ultrasonic device is connected to a device terminalvia a flexible printed wiring board (a flexible board).

The flexible board is provided with a first flat-plate part disposed onone end side with respect to the center line, and the ultrasonic deviceis fixed to the first flat-plate part. Further, the flexible board isprovided with a second flat-plate part disposed on the other end sidewith respect to the center line, and connecters to which the terminalsof the ultrasonic device are connected are disposed in the secondflat-plate part.

Incidentally, in such an ultrasonic device as described in Document 1described above, as the number of the ultrasonic elements included inthe ultrasonic device increases, the number of the terminals and thenumber of the connectors also increase accordingly. In this case, itbecomes difficult to dispose all of the connectors in the secondflat-plate part, and the interconnections to the connectors also becomecomplicated. In contrast, by separately providing a third flat-platepart for disposing the connectors to the first flat-plate part, anddisposing the connectors in both of the second flat-plate part and thethird flat-plate part, such a problem as described above can be solved.

On the other hand, in the ultrasonic device unit, since it is necessaryto dispose the ultrasonic device and the flexible board in a limitedspace, the second flat-plate part is folded back (curved) to overlap thefirst flat-plate part as described in Document 1. Here, in the case inwhich the third flat-plate part is disposed in addition to the secondflat-plate part as described above, if the second flat-plate part andthe third flat-plate part are curved so as to overlap the firstflat-plate part, the second flat-plate part and the third flat-platepart interfere with each other to make the wiring connection to theconnectors difficult.

Further, it is also possible to bend the flexible board so that thecurvature between the first flat-plate part and the second flat-platepart and the curvature between the first flat-plate part and the thirdflat-plate part are different from each other to thereby prevent thesecond flat-plate part and the third flat-plate part from interferingwith each other. However, in such a case, in the part with the smallercurvature, the flexible board significantly projects outward from thefirst flat-plate part, and it becomes difficult to dispose theultrasonic device and the flexible board within the limited space.

For the above reason, there is desired an ultrasonic device unit whichis easy in wiring connection, and can be miniaturized.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide anultrasonic device unit, an ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic apparatuswhich are easy in wiring connection, and can be miniaturized.

An ultrasonic device unit according to an application example of theinvention includes an ultrasonic device, and a flexible printed wiringboard to be connected to the ultrasonic device, the flexible printedwiring board is provided with a device connection section to which theultrasonic device is connected, a first connector section including aplurality of external connection terminals to be connected to theultrasonic device, a second connector section including a plurality ofexternal connection terminals to be connected to the ultrasonic device,a first inflective part disposed between the device connection sectionand the first connector section, and adapted to link the deviceconnection section and the first connector section to each other, and asecond inflective part disposed between the device connection sectionand the second connector section, and adapted to link the deviceconnection section and the second connector section to each other, and adistance between the device connection section and the first connectorsection in the first inflective part and a distance between the deviceconnection section and the second connector section in the secondinflective part are different from each other.

In this application example, in the flexible printed wiring board, tothe device connection section to which the ultrasonic device isconnected, the first connector section is connected via the firstinflective part, and the second connector section is connected via thesecond inflective part. Further, in this application example, thedistance from the device connection section to the first connectorsection of the first inflective part, and the distance from the deviceconnection section to the second connector section of the secondinflective part are different from each other.

In such a configuration, a position (a position in the overlappingdirection) of the first connector section in the case of bending thefirst inflective part so as to overlap the first connector section withthe device connection section, and a position (a position in theoverlapping direction) of the second connector section in the case ofbending the second inflective part so as to overlap the second connectorsection with the device connection section are different from eachother. Therefore, the first connector section and the second connectorsection do not interfere with each other, and thus, the connection ofthe interconnections to the first connector section and the secondconnector section becomes easy. Further, out of the first connectorsection and the second connector section, one shorter in distance fromthe device connection section is disposed on a side closer to the deviceconnection section, and the other is disposed on a side farther from thedevice connection section, and thus, it is possible to prevent the firstinflective part and the second inflective part from projecting outsidethe outer edge of the device connection section in a planar view viewedfrom the overlapping direction of the flexible printed wiring board tothereby achieve the miniaturization.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that the first inflective part is provided with a firstslit, the second inflective part is provided with a second slit, and awidth dimension in a direction from the device connection section towardthe first connector section of the first slit, and a width dimension ina direction from the device connection section toward the secondconnector section of the second slit are different from each other.

In the application example with this configuration, the first inflectivepart is provided with the first slit, and the second inflective part isprovided with the second slit. In the case in which the first slit andthe second slit as described above are provided, it becomes easy tocurve the first inflective part and the second inflective part along thefirst slit and the second slit. Further, since the first slit and thesecond slit are different in width dimension from each other, there isobtained a configuration in which the dimension of a part easy to bendis different between the first slit and the second slit. Thus, similarlyto the application example described above, it becomes possible toeasily dispose the first connector section and the second connectorsection at positions where the first connector section and the secondconnector section do not interfere with each other.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that a width dimension in a direction crossing thedirection from the device connection section toward the first connectorsection of the first slit is larger than a width dimension in thedirection crossing the direction from the device connection sectiontoward the first connector section of the ultrasonic device, and a widthdimension in a direction crossing the direction from the deviceconnection section toward the second connector section of the secondslit is larger than a width dimension in the direction crossing thedirection from the device connection section toward the second connectorsection of the ultrasonic device.

In the application example with this configuration, the width dimension(the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the first slit) in thedirection (a first crossing direction) crossing the direction (a firstconnection direction) from the device connection section toward thefirst connector section of the first slit is larger than the widthdimension in the first crossing direction of the ultrasonic device.

In such a configuration, the flexible printed wiring board is bent inthe both end edges parallel to the first connection direction of theultrasonic device, and then, the first inflective part is curved to bebent at the position where the first slit is disposed. Thus, in thedirection from the device connection section toward the first connectorsection, the flexible printed wiring board thus bent overlaps in threelayers in the first connector section and the device connection sectionon the one hand, but overlaps only in two layers in the first inflectivepart on the other hand. Therefore, it becomes easy to curve the firstinflective part.

The same applies in the second inflective part, and the width dimension(the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the second slit) in thedirection (a second crossing direction) crossing the direction (a secondconnection direction) from the device connection section toward thesecond connector section of the second slit is larger than the widthdimension in the second crossing direction of the ultrasonic device.Therefore, the flexible printed wiring board is bent in the both endedges parallel to the second connection direction of the ultrasonicdevice, and then, the second inflective part is curved to be bent at theposition where the second slit is disposed, and thus, the secondinflective part is provided with a shape easy to bend.

Therefore, it becomes possible to easily change the shape of theflexible printed wiring board so that the first connector section andthe second connector section overlap the device connection section.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that a width dimension in a direction from the deviceconnection section toward the first connector section of the firstconnector section is smaller than a width dimension in the directionfrom the device connection section toward the first connector section ofthe device connection section, and a width dimension in the directionfrom the device connection section toward the second connector sectionof the second connector section is smaller than a width dimension in thedirection from the device connection section toward the second connectorsection of the device connection section.

In the application example with this configuration, the width dimensionin the first connection direction of the first connector section issmaller than the width dimension in the first connection direction ofthe device connection section, and the width dimension in the secondconnection direction of the second connector section is smaller than thewidth dimension in the first connection direction of the deviceconnection section. Therefore, in the case of bending the firstinflective part and the second inflective part so as to overlap thefirst connector section and the second connector section with the deviceconnection section, it is possible to prevent the first connectorsection and the second connector section from projecting outside theouter edge of the device connection section in the planar view viewedfrom the overlapping direction to thereby achieve the miniaturization.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that the device connection section, the first connectorsection, and the second connector section are arranged in a firstdirection, and the device connection section is located between thefirst connector section and the second connector section.

In the application example with this configuration, the first connectorsection and the second connector section are disposed along the firstdirection across the device connection section from each other. In sucha configuration, it is possible to provide a symmetrical structure tothe interconnections extending from the device connection section towardthe first connector section, and the interconnections extending from thedevice connection section toward the second connector section in theflexible printed wiring board. Therefore, it is possible to prevent adisadvantage that the output of the ultrasonic wave output from theultrasonic device becomes uneven due to the voltage drop caused by theinterconnections.

An ultrasonic device unit according to an application example of theinvention includes an ultrasonic device, and a flexible printed wiringboard to be connected to the ultrasonic device, the flexible printedwiring board is provided with a device connection section to which theultrasonic device is connected, a first connector section including aplurality of external connection terminals to be connected to theultrasonic device, a second connector section including a plurality ofexternal connection terminals to be connected to the ultrasonic device,a first inflective part disposed between the device connection sectionand the first connector section, and adapted to link the deviceconnection section and the first connector section to each other, and athird inflective part disposed between the first connector section andthe second connector section, and adapted to link the first connectorsection and the second connector section to each other, and a distancebetween the device connection section and the first connector section inthe first inflective part and a distance between the first connectorsection and the second connector section in the third inflective partare different from each other.

In this application example, the first connector section is linked tothe device connection section via the first inflective part, the secondconnector section is linked to the first connector section via the thirdinflective part, and the distance from the device connection section tothe first connector section of the first inflective part and thedistance from the first connector section to the second connectorsection of the third inflective part are different from each other.

In such a configuration, when overlapping the first connector sectionand the second connector section with the device connection section, itis possible to curve the first inflective part to overlap the firstconnector section and the second connector section with the deviceconnection section, and then curve the third inflective part so that thesecond connector section intervenes between the first connector sectionand the device connection section. On this occasion, the distance fromthe device connection section to the first connector section is madelonger than the distance from the first connector section to the secondconnector section. Thus, the interference between the first connectorsection and the second connector section can be prevented, and at thesame time, the first inflective part and the third inflective part areprevented from projecting from the outer edge of the device connectionsection in the planar view, and thus the miniaturization can beachieved.

Further, when overlapping the first connector section and the secondconnector section with the device connection section, it is alsopossible to curve the first inflective part to overlap the firstconnector section and the second connector section with the deviceconnection section, and then curve the third inflective part so that thesecond connector section is located on the opposite side to the deviceconnection section of the first connector section. On this occasion, thedistance from the device connection section to the first connectorsection is made shorter than the distance from the first connectorsection to the second connector section. Thus, the interference betweenthe first connector section and the second connector section can beprevented, and at the same time, the first inflective part and the thirdinflective part are prevented from projecting from the outer edge of thedevice connection section in the planar view, and thus theminiaturization can be achieved.

An ultrasonic probe according to an application example of the inventionincludes the ultrasonic device unit according to any one of theapplication examples described above, and a housing adapted to store theultrasonic device unit.

In the ultrasonic probe according to this application example, such anultrasonic device unit as described above is housed in the housing, andby making the ultrasonic probe have contact with the test object, theultrasonic measurement on the test object can be performed. Further, asdescribed above, the ultrasonic device unit can be miniaturized whilepreventing the interference between the connector sections. Therefore,in the ultrasonic probe, the interconnections can easily be connected tothe ultrasonic device unit, and at the same time, the miniaturization ofthe ultrasonic probe can also be achieved.

An ultrasonic apparatus according to an application example of theinvention includes the ultrasonic device unit according to any one ofthe application examples described above, and a control section adaptedto control the ultrasonic device unit.

In this application example, by controlling such an ultrasonic deviceunit as described above with the control section, it is possible toperform a variety of types of ultrasonic processing (e.g., ultrasonicmeasurement on the test object, and ultrasonic therapy on the testobject) in accordance with the measurement result of the ultrasonicmeasurement. Further, since the ultrasonic device unit can beminiaturized as describe above, the miniaturization of the ultrasonicapparatus can also be achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of anultrasonic measurement apparatus according to a first embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the ultrasonicprobe according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe cut along theline A-A shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe cut along theline B-B shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonicsubstrate of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic substrate cut alongthe line C-C shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a wiringboard of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a surface ofa flexible board of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a wiring structure of the flexible board ofthe first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a voltage value of a drive voltage to beapplied to each of transmission/reception columns of an ultrasonicdevice.

FIG. 11 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of a firstreinforcing plate of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of a secondreinforcing plate of the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the case in which the flexible board iscurved along an X direction in the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a side view of an ultrasonic device unit according to thefirst embodiment viewed from a first inflective part side.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the ultrasonic device unit according to thefirst embodiment viewed from a second inflective part side.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a flexibleboard of a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 is an X-Z cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic device unit whencurving the flexible board in the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a flexibleboard of a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 is an X-Z cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic device unit whencurving the flexible board in the third embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

A first embodiment according to the invention will hereinafter bedescribed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of theultrasonic measurement apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic measurement apparatus 1 correspondsto an ultrasonic apparatus, and is provided with an ultrasonic probe 2,and a control device 10 electrically connected to the ultrasonic probe 2via a cable 3.

The ultrasonic measurement apparatus 1 transmits an ultrasonic wave fromthe ultrasonic probe 2 to the inside of a living body (e.g., a humanbody) in the state in which the ultrasonic probe 2 has contact with asurface of the living body. Further, the ultrasonic measurementapparatus 1 receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by an organ in theliving body using the ultrasonic probe 2, and then, for example, obtainsan internal tomographic image of the inside of the living body tomeasure the state (e.g., blood flow) of the organ in the living bodybased on the received signal.

1. Configuration of Control Device

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the control device 10 corresponds to acontrol section, and is provided with an operating section 11 includingbuttons or a touch panel, and a display section 12. Further, althoughnot shown in the drawings, the control device 10 is provided with astorage section formed of a memory and so on, and an arithmetic sectionconstituted by a central processing unit (CPU) and so on. The controldevice 10 makes the arithmetic section execute a variety of programsstored in the storage section to thereby control the ultrasonicmeasurement apparatus 1. For example, the control device 10 outputs acommand for controlling the drive of the ultrasonic probe 2, forms animage of the internal structure of the living body and then makes thedisplay section 12 display the image, and measures the living bodyinformation such as the blood flow to make the display section 12display the living body information based on the received signal inputfrom the ultrasonic probe 2. As such a control device 10, there can beused a terminal device such as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or apersonal computer, and a dedicated terminal device for operating theultrasonic probe 2 can also be used.

2. Configuration of Ultrasonic Probe

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the ultrasonicprobe 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe 2 cutalong the line A-A (a plane S_(A)) shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is across-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe 2 cut along the line B-B (aplane S_(B)) shown in FIG. 2.

The ultrasonic probe 2 corresponds to an ultrasonic probe, and isprovided with a housing 21, and an ultrasonic device unit 4 storedinside the housing 21 as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4. Further, theultrasonic device unit 4 is configured including an ultrasonic device 5,a flexible printed wiring board (a flexible board 6), a firstreinforcing plate 71, and a second reinforcing plate 72.

Hereinafter, each of the constituents will be described in detail.

2-1. Configuration of Ultrasonic Device 5

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the ultrasonic device 5 constituting theultrasonic device unit 4 includes an ultrasonic substrate 51, a sealingplate 52, a wiring board 53, and an acoustic lens 54, and is formed bystacking the wiring board 53, the sealing plate 52, the ultrasonicsubstrate 51, and the acoustic lens 54 in this order. In the presentembodiment, the ultrasonic device 5 is formed to have, for example, arectangular shape in a planar view viewed from the stacking direction (aZ direction) of the wiring board 53, the sealing plate 52, theultrasonic substrate 51, and the acoustic lens 54.

2-1-1. Configuration of Ultrasonic Substrate 51

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of theultrasonic substrate 51 of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasonic substrate 51 is provided with aplurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr arranged in a two-dimensionalarray along the X direction (a second direction, a scanning direction)and the Y direction (a first direction, a slicing direction). In thepresent embodiment, 1-CH (channel) transmission/reception column Ch(vibrator element) is constituted by a plurality of ultrasonictransducers Tr (ultrasonic elements) arranged in the Y direction.Further, a plurality of the 1-CH transmission/reception columns Charranged side by side along the X direction constitutes the ultrasonicsubstrate 51 having a two-dimensional array structure. Here, in theultrasonic substrate 51, an area where the ultrasonic transducers Tr arearranged is defined as an array area Ar1.

It should be noted that in FIG. 5, the number of the ultrasonictransducers Tr arranged is reduced for the sake of convenience ofexplanation, but in reality, there are arranged a larger number ofultrasonic transducers Tr.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic substrate51 cut along the line C-C shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, the ultrasonic substrate 51 is configured includingan element substrate 511, a support film 512 disposed on the elementsubstrate 511, and piezoelectric elements 513 disposed on the supportfilm 512.

The element substrate 511 is formed of a semiconductor substrate madeof, for example, Si. The element substrate 511 is provided withsubstrate opening parts 511A corresponding to the respective ultrasonictransducers Tr. In the present embodiment, each of the substrate openingparts 511A is a through hole penetrating the element substrate 511 inthe thickness direction thereof, and the support film 512 is disposed onone end side (the sealing plate 52 side) of the through hole.

Further, the side of the substrate opening part 511A where the supportfilm 512 is not provided is filled with an acoustic layer 515 havingacoustic impedance approximate to that of the living body.

Further, on a surface of the element substrate 511 located on theopposite side to the support film 512, there is disposed the acousticlens 54 having contact with the element substrate 511 and the acousticlayer 515. The acoustic lens 54 is a part which is exposed from thesensor window 211B (see FIG. 1 and so on) provided to the housing 21when the ultrasonic device unit 4 is stored in the housing 21, and formsa part to have contact with the test object when performing theultrasonic measurement. Similarly to the acoustic layer 515, theacoustic lens 54 is formed of, for example, silicone having acousticimpedance approximate to that of the living body, and is formed to havea cylindrical shape with an axis parallel to the X direction.

The support film 512 is formed of, for example, a stacked body of SiO₂and ZrO₂, and is disposed so as to cover the entire area on the sealingplate 52 side of the element substrate 511. Specifically, the supportfilm 512 is supported by partition walls 511B constituting the substrateopening parts 511A, and closes the sealing plate 52 side of thesubstrate opening parts 511A. The thickness dimension of the supportfilm 512 is made sufficiently small with respect to that of the elementsubstrate 511.

It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the support film 512is formed by performing a thermal oxidation treatment on one surface ofthe element substrate 511 formed of Si to form SiO₂, and then stackingZrO₂ thereon. On this occasion, by performing etching on the elementsubstrate 511 using the support film 512 including SiO₂ as an etchingstopper, it becomes possible to easily form the substrate opening parts511A and the partition walls 511B.

The piezoelectric elements 513 are disposed on respective parts of thesupport film 512 closing the respective substrate opening parts 511A.The piezoelectric elements 513 are each formed of, for example, astacked body obtained by stacking a lower-part electrode 513A, apiezoelectric film 513B, and an upper-part electrode 513C from thesupport film 512 side.

Here, the part of the support film 512 closing the substrate openingpart 511A constitutes a vibrating part 512A, and the vibrating part 512Aand the piezoelectric element 513 constitute one ultrasonic transducerTr.

In such an ultrasonic transducer Tr, by applying a rectangular-wavevoltage (a drive voltage) having a predetermined frequency between thelower-part electrode 513A and the upper-part electrode 513C, thepiezoelectric film 513B is deflected to vibrate the vibrating part 512Ato transmit the ultrasonic wave. Further, when the vibrating part 512Ais vibrated by the ultrasonic wave (a reflected wave) reflected by theliving body, an electrical potential difference occurs between an upperpart and a lower part of the piezoelectric film 513B. Thus, by detectingthe electrical potential difference occurring between the lower-partelectrode 513A and the upper-part electrode 513C, it becomes possible todetect the ultrasonic wave received.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the lower-part electrode513A is formed along the Y direction to have a linear shape, andconnects the plurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr constituting the1-CH transmission/reception column Ch to each other. Drive terminals513D therefor are electrically connected to the wiring board 53 via, forexample, through electrodes provided to the sealing plate 52.

Further, the upper-part electrode 513C is formed along the X directionto form a linear shape, and connects the ultrasonic transducers Trarranged in the X direction. Further, the end parts on the ±X sides ofthe upper-part electrode 513C are respectively connected to commonelectrode lines 514. The common electrode lines 514 each connect theupper-part electrodes 513C arranged along the Y direction to each other,and are each provided with common terminals 514A at the end partsthereof, wherein the common terminals 514A are electrically connected tothe wiring board 53. The common terminals 514A are electricallyconnected to the wiring board 53 via, for example, through electrodesprovided to the sealing plate 52.

2-1-2. Configuration of Sealing Plate 52

The sealing plate 52 is formed so that the planar shape of the sealingplate 52 viewed from the thickness direction has the same shape as thatof, for example, the ultrasonic substrate 51. Further, the sealing plate52 is bonded with a fixation member such as resin on the support film512 side of the ultrasonic substrate 51, and at the positionsoverlapping the partition walls 511B viewed from the substrate thicknessdirection, to reinforce the ultrasonic substrate 51.

The sealing plate 52 is provided with openings not shown at positionsopposed to the drive terminals 513D and the common terminals 514A of theelement substrate 511, and through electrodes 521 (see FIG. 7), forexample, for connecting the drive terminals 513D and the commonterminals 514A to the wiring board 53 are inserted through the openings.

2-1-3. Configuration of Wiring Board 53

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the wiringboard 53.

As shown in FIG. 7, the wiring board 53 is provided with device-sideterminals (first device-side terminals 531 and second device-sideterminals 532) at positions opposed to the drive terminals 513D and thecommon terminals 514A. These device-side terminals are connected to thedrive terminals 513D and the common terminals 514A via the throughelectrodes 521 provided to the sealing plate 52, respectively.

In the present embodiment, the drive terminals 513D and the commonterminals 514A are disposed in the both end parts (Ar2) of the flexibleboard 6 in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, also in thewiring board 53, the device-side terminals corresponding to the driveterminals 513D and the common terminals 514A are disposed in the bothend parts in the Y direction. Here, the device-side terminals disposedon the −Y side are referred to as first device-side terminals 531, andthe device-side terminals disposed on the +Y side as the other end sidein the Y direction are referred to as second device-side terminals 532.

Further, in the present embodiment, the number of each of the firstdevice-side terminals 531 and the second device-side terminals 532provided to the wiring substrate 53 is n (n is an integer equal to orgreater than 2). Here, the first device-side terminal disposed at the −Xside end part is defined as a 1-st first device-side terminal 531, thesecond device-side terminal disposed at the −X side end part is definedas a 1-st second device-side terminal 532, the first device-sideterminal disposed at the +X side end part is defined as an n-th firstdevice-side terminal 531, and the second device-side terminal disposedat the +X side end part is defined as an n-th second device-sideterminal 532. The first device-side terminal 531 and the seconddevice-side terminal 532 disposed at “i”-th position from the −X sideend part are defined as an i-th first device-side terminal 531 and ani-th second device-side terminal 532.

To each of the first device-side terminals 531 and the seconddevice-side terminals 532, there is connected the flexible board 6.

2-2. Configuration of Flexible Printed Wiring Board (Flexible Board 6)

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a surface ofthe flexible board 6 of the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagramshowing a wiring structure of the flexible board.

As shown in FIG. 8, the flexible board 6 is formed to have, for example,a rectangular planar shape. The flexible board 6 is divided into fiveregions along the X direction.

Specifically, the flexible board 6 is provided with a device connectionsection 61 disposed in the central part in the X direction, a firstconnector section 62 located on the −X side of the device connectionsection 61, and a second connector section 63 located on the +X side ofthe device connection section 61. Further, the device connection section61 and the first connector section 62 are linked (connected) to eachother via a first inflective part 64, and the device connection section61 and the second connector section 63 are linked (connected) to eachother via a second inflective part 65.

2-2-1. Description of Device Connection Section 61

The device connection section 61 is a part to which the ultrasonicdevice 5 is connected, and has an opening part 611 having a roughlyrectangular shape corresponding to the acoustic lens 54. Further, thedevice connection section 61 is configured including a first wiring part612 disposed on the −Y side of the opening part 611, and a second wiringpart 613 disposed on the +Y side of the opening part 611.

The first wiring part 612 is a part in which interconnections to beconnected to the first device-side terminals 531 are disposed, and isprovided with a first connection part 614, a first bending part 615, anda first device stacking part 616.

The first connection part 614 has connection terminals disposed in aconnection side 614A along the X direction facing the opening part 611,and connected to the respective first device-side terminals 531 alongthe connection side 614A.

The first bending part 615 is a part extending from the first connectionpart 614 toward the −Y side (in a first extending direction). Althoughthe details will be described later, the first bending part 615 isopposed to a bending guide part 715 (see FIG. 4) provided to the firstreinforcing plate 71 when bending the flexible board 6.

Further, an end edge (a first negative-side end edge 612A) on the −Xside of the first connection part 614 and the first bending part 615constitutes a part of an opening edge of a first slit 641 provided tothe first inflective part 64 described later. Further, an end edge (afirst positive-side end edge 612B) on the +X side of the firstconnection part 614 and the first bending part 615 constitutes a part ofan opening edge of a second slit 651 provided to the second inflectivepart 65 described later.

The first device stacking part 616 is a part which overlaps the firstreinforcing plate 71 when connecting the flexible board 6 to theultrasonic device 5 supported by the first reinforcing plate 71, andbending the flexible board 6 around the first bending part 615 along thefirst reinforcing plate 71.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the interconnections(first interconnections 661) connected to the 1-st through k-th firstdevice-side terminals 531 out of the first device-side terminals 531 aredisposed in the first device stacking part 616 so as to extend towardthe first connector section 62. Meanwhile, the interconnections (thirdinterconnections 663) connected to the (k+1)-th through n-th firstdevice-side terminals 531 out of the first device-side terminals 531 aredisposed in the first device stacking part 616 so as to extend towardthe second connector section 63.

The second wiring part 613 is a part in which interconnections to beconnected to the second device-side terminals 532 are disposed, and hassubstantially the same configuration as that of the first wiring part612. Specifically, the second wiring part 613 is configured linesymmetrically with the first wiring part 612 about a Y-central axis lineL_(Y) passing through the central point in the Y direction of theopening part 611 and parallel to the X direction.

Specifically, the second wiring part 613 is provided with a secondconnection part 617, a second bending part 618, and a second devicestacking part 619.

The second connection part 617 has connection terminals disposed along aconnection side 617A along the X direction facing the opening part 611,and connected to the respective second device-side terminals 532 alongthe connection side 617A.

The second bending part 618 is a part extending from the secondconnection part 617 toward the +Y side (in a second extendingdirection), and is opposed to the bending guide part 715 of the firstreinforcing plate 71 described later when bending the flexible board 6.

An end edge (a second negative-side end edge 613A) on the −X side of thesecond connection part 617 and the second bending part 618 constitutes apart of an opening edge of the first slit 641 provided to the firstinflective part 64 described later. Further, an end edge (a secondpositive-side end edge 613B) on the +X side of the second connectionpart 617 and the second bending part 618 constitutes a part of theopening edge of the second slit 651 provided to the second inflectivepart 65 described later.

The second device stacking part 619 is a part which overlaps the firstreinforcing plate 71 together with the first device stacking part 616when connecting the flexible board 6 to the ultrasonic device 5 fixed tothe first reinforcing plate 71, and bending the second bending part 618of the flexible board 6 along the first reinforcing plate 71.

Among the interconnections disposed in the second device stacking part619, the interconnections (second interconnections 662) to be connectedto the 1-st through k-th second device-side terminals 532 are disposedso as to extend toward the first connector section 62. Further, theinterconnections (fourth interconnections 664) to be connected to the(k+1)-th through n-th second device-side terminals 532 are disposed soas to extend toward the second connector section 63.

2-2-2. Description of First Connector Section 62 and Second ConnectionSection 63

The first connector section 62 and the second connector section 63 aredisposed on the ±X sides of the device connection section 61,respectively, and has a width dimension smaller than the width dimensionin the X direction of the device connection section 61.

The first connector section 62 is provided with a plurality ofconnectors 621 each provided with a plurality of external connectionterminals 622 (see FIG. 9), and the second connector section 63 isprovided with a plurality of connectors 631 each provided with aplurality of external connection terminals 632 (see FIG. 9). As shown inFIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the first connectorsection 62 is provided with the three connectors 621, and the secondconnector section 63 is provided with the three connectors 631. Further,each of the connectors 621 is provided with the external connectionterminals 622 to be connected to either of the interconnections 661,662, and each of the connectors 631 is provided with the externalconnection terminals 632 to be connected to either of theinterconnections 663, 664.

It should be noted that although in the present embodiment, there isshown an example in which the three connectors 621 (631) are provided,this is not a limitation, and it is also possible to provide one or twoconnectors 621 (631), or it is also possible to provide four or moreconnectors 621 (631).

Here, among the three connectors 621 provided to the first connectorsection 62, in the connector 621A located on the +X side, there aredisposed the 1-st external connection terminal 622 through the k₁-th(k₁<k) external connection terminal 622. Further, in the connector 621A,the 1-st external connection terminal 622 is disposed at the +X side endpart, and the k₁-th external connection terminal 622 is disposed at the−X side end part.

Among the three connectors 621 provided to the first connector section62, in the connector 621B located in the central part in the Xdirection, there are disposed the (k₁+1)-th external connection terminal622 through the k₂-th (k₁<k₂<k) external connection terminal 622.Further, in the connector 621B, the (k₁+1)-th external connectionterminal 622 is disposed at the +X side end part, and the k₂-th externalconnection terminal 622 is disposed at the −X side end part.

Among the three connectors 621 provided to the first connector section62, in the connector 621C located on the −X side, there are disposed the(k₂+1)-th external connection terminal 622 through the k-th externalconnection terminal 622. Further, in the connector 621C, the (k₂+1)-thexternal connection terminal 622 is disposed at the +X side end part,and the k-th external connection terminal 622 is disposed at the −X sideend part.

Therefore, in the first connector section 62, the “i (1≤i≤k)”-thexternal connection terminal 622 from the +X side corresponds to thei-th external connection terminal.

Further, to the i-th external connection terminal 622, there areconnected the first interconnection 661 connected to the i-th firstdevice-side terminal 531, and the second interconnection 662 connectedto the i-th second device-side terminal 532.

Here, the first interconnection 661 and the second interconnection 662disposed in the first connector section 62 are made roughlyline-symmetric about the Y-central axis line L_(Y) similarly to thedevice connection section 61. In other words, the wiring length from thefirst device-side terminal 531 to the external connection terminal 622in the first interconnection 661 and the wiring length from the seconddevice-side terminal 532 to the external connection terminal 622 in thesecond interconnection 662 are roughly equal to each other.

On the other hand, among the three connectors 631 provided to the secondconnector section 63, in the connector 631A located on the +X side,there are disposed the (k+1)-th external connection terminal 632 throughthe k₃-th (k+1≤k₃<n) external connection terminal 632. Further, in theconnector 631A, the (k+1)-th external connection terminal 632 isdisposed at the +X side end part, and the k₃-th external connectionterminal 632 is disposed at the −X side end part.

Among the three connectors 631 provided to the second connector section63, in the connector 631B located in the central part in the Xdirection, there are disposed the (k₃+1)-th external connection terminal632 through the k₄-th (k₃<k₄<n) external connection terminal 632.Further, in the connector 631B, the (k₃+1)-th external connectionterminal 632 is disposed at the +X side end part, and the k₄-th externalconnection terminal 632 is disposed at the −X side end part.

Among the three connectors 631 provided to the second connector section63, in the connector 631C located on the −X side, there are disposed the(k₄+1)-th external connection terminal 632 through the n-th externalconnection terminal 632. Further, in the connector 631C, the (k₄+1)-thexternal connection terminal 632 is disposed at the +X side end part,and the n-th external connection terminal 632 is disposed at the −X sideend part.

Therefore, in the second connector section 63, the “i (k+1≤i≤n)”-thexternal connection terminal 632 from the +X side corresponds to thei-th external connection terminal 632.

Further, to the i-th external connection terminal 632, there areconnected the third interconnection 663 connected to the i-th firstdevice-side terminal 531, and the fourth interconnection 664 connectedto the i-th second device-side terminal 532.

Here, the third interconnection 663 and the fourth interconnection 664disposed in the second connector section 63 are made roughlyline-symmetric about the Y-central axis line L_(Y) similarly to thedevice connection section 61. In other words, the wiring length from thefirst device-side terminal 531 to the external connection terminal 632in the third interconnection 663 and the wiring length from the seconddevice-side terminal 532 to the external connection terminal 622 in thefourth interconnection 664 are roughly equal to each other.

Here, among the first device-side terminals 531, it is preferable forthe number (k) of the first device-side terminals 531 to be connected tothe external connection terminals 622 of the first connector section 62,and the number (n−k) of the first device-side terminals 531 to beconnected to the external connection terminals 632 of the secondconnection section 63 to satisfy the relationship of |(n−k)−k|/n≤0.2.

In other words, it is preferable to adopt the wiring configuration inwhich the difference between the number (k) of the first device-sideterminals 531 to be connected to the external connection terminals 622and the number (n−k) of the first device-side terminals 531 to beconnected to the external connection terminals 632 is equal to or lowerthan 20% of the total number (n) of the first device-side terminals 531.Further, it is more preferable that n is an even number, and k=n/2 isassumed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a voltage value of a drive voltage to beapplied to each of the transmission/reception columns Ch. In FIG. 10,the dashed-dotted line represents the voltage value in the case of usingthe flexible board (related art example) having just one connectorsection with respect to the device connection section, and the solidline represents the voltage value in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the past, the device-side terminals locatedclose to the connector section are connected to the external connectionterminals located on the device connection section side of the connectorsection, and the device-side terminals located farther from theconnector section are connected to the external connection terminalslocated farther from the device connection section of the connectorsection. Therefore, as the device-side terminal is located farther fromthe connector section, the length of the interconnection also increases,and due to the influence of the voltage drop, the voltage value of thedrive voltage applied to each of the transmission/reception columns Chconnected to the device-side terminals also drops.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, there are provided the firstconnector section 62 and the second connector section 63 as describedabove, and the interconnections 661, 662 are provided to the connectorsection 62, and the interconnections 663, 664 are provided to theconnector section 63, wherein the numbers of the interconnections 661,662, 663, and 664 are the same. Further, in the present embodiment, thefirst interconnections 661 and the third interconnections 663 are maderoughly line-symmetric about an X-central axis line L_(X) passingthrough the center of the ultrasonic device 5 and parallel to the Ydirection, and the second interconnections 662 and the fourthinterconnections 664 are made roughly line-symmetric about the X-centralaxis line Lx. Therefore, the first interconnection 661 connected to thei-th first device-side terminal 531, the second interconnection 662connected to the i-th second device-side terminal 532, the thirdinterconnection 663 connected to the (n−i+1)-th first device-sideterminal 531, and the fourth interconnection 664 connected to the(n−i+1)-th second device-side terminal 532 become roughly the same inlength, and as shown in FIG. 10, the influence of the voltage drop issuppressed.

2-2-3. Configuration of First Inflective Part 64 and Second InflectivePart 65

As shown in FIG. 8, the first inflective part 64 is disposed between thedevice connection section 61 and the first connector section 62, andlinks the first connector section 62 to the device connection section 61in a bendable manner. Similarly, the second inflective part 65 isdisposed between the device connection section 61 and the secondconnector section 63, and links the second connector section 63 to thedevice connection section 61 in a bendable manner. The distance betweenthe device connection section 61 and the first connector section 62 inthe first inflective part 64 and the distance between the deviceconnection section 61 and the second connector section 63 in the secondinflective part 65 are different from each other.

The first inflective part 64 has the first slit 641 connected to theopening part 611 provided to the device connection section 61, and firstlinking parts 642 connected to the device connection section 61 and thefirst connector section 62 respectively on the ±Y sides of the firstslit 641.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first slit 641 is an opening elongated along theY direction (a direction crossing the direction from the deviceconnection section 61 toward the first connector section 62), andincludes the first negative-side end edge 612A, which is the end edge onthe −X side of the first connection part 614 and the first bending part615, and the second negative-side end edge 613A, which is the end edgeon the −X side of the second connection part 617 and the second bendingpart 618 as a part of the opening edge on the +X side. In the presentembodiment, the first negative-side end edge 612A and the secondnegative-side end edge 613A are located on a straight line along the Ydirection. The opening edge opposed to the first negative-side end edge612A and the second negative-side end edge 613A of the first slit 641forms a first opposed edge 641A shaped like a straight line parallel tothe Y direction.

Further, the end edge (a first slit end edge 641B) on the −Y side of thefirst slit 641 links the −Y side end parts of the first opposed edge641A and the first negative-side end edge 612A to each other, and theend edge (a first slit end edge 641C) on the +Y side of the first slit641 links the +Y side end parts of the first opposed edge 641A and thesecond negative-side end edge 613A to each other. The first slit endedge 641B is disposed at a position shifted from the first connectionpart 614 toward the −Y side as much as a dimension D1. Similarly, thefirst slit end edge 641C is disposed at a position shifted from thesecond connection part 617 toward the +Y side as much as the dimensionD1.

Here, the dimension D1 is set to a dimension larger than a distance fromthe wiring board 53 to a first side 71A (see FIG. 11) of the firstreinforcing plate 71 in the case of connecting the flexible board 6 tothe ultrasonic device 5 supported by the first reinforcing plate 71 (seeFIG. 11) described later.

The second inflective part 65 has the second slit 651 connected to theopening part 611 provided to the device connection section 61, andsecond linking parts 652 connected to the device connection section 61and the second connector section 63 respectively on the ±Y sides of thesecond slit 651.

The second slit 651 has roughly the same configuration as that of thefirst slit 641, and is connected to the opening part 611, including thefirst positive-side end edge 612B and the second positive-side end edge613B as a part of the opening edge on the −X side. The opening edgeopposed to the first positive-side end edge 612B and the secondpositive-side end edge 613B of the second slit 651 forms a secondopposed edge 651A shaped like a straight line parallel to the Ydirection.

Further, the end edge (a second slit end edge 651B) on the −Y side ofthe second slit 651 links the −Y side end parts of the second opposededge 651A and the first positive-side end edge 612B to each other, andthe end edge (a second slit end edge 651C) on the +Y side of the secondslit 651 links the +Y side end parts of the second opposed edge 651A andthe second positive-side end edge 613B to each other. The second slitend edge 651B is disposed at a position shifted from the firstconnection part 614 toward the −Y side as much as the dimension D1, andthe second slit end edge 651C is disposed at a position shifted from thesecond connection part 617 toward the +Y side as much as the dimensionD1.

Incidentally, the first device-side terminals 531 to which the firstconnection part 614 is connected are disposed on the −Y side end part ofthe ultrasonic device 5, and the second device-side terminals 532 towhich the second connection part 617 is connected are disposed on the +Yside end edge of the ultrasonic device 5. The fact that the first slitend edge 641B and the first connection part 614 are distant from eachother as much as the dimension D1, and the first slit end edge 641C andthe second connection part 617 are distant from each other as much asthe dimension D1 means that the width dimension in the Y direction ofthe first slit 641 is larger than the width dimension in the Y directionof the ultrasonic device 5. Similarly, the width dimension in the Ydirection of the second slit 651 is larger than the width dimension inthe Y direction of the ultrasonic device 5.

Here, the dimension from the first negative-side end edge 612A to thefirst opposed edge 641A and the dimension from the second negative-sideend edge 613A to the first opposed edge 641A are the same as each other,and are defined as a width dimension W1 in the X direction in the firstslit 641. Further, the dimension from the first positive-side end edge612B to the second opposed edge 651A and the dimension from the secondpositive-side end edge 613B to the second opposed edge 651A are the sameas each other, and are defined as a width dimension W2 in the Xdirection in the second slit 651. In the present embodiment, the widthdimension W1 of the first slit 641 and the width dimension W2 of thesecond slit 651 are different from each other, and satisfy W1<W2.

2-3. Configuration of First Reinforcing Plate 71 and Second ReinforcingPlate 72

2-3-1. Configuration of First Reinforcing Plate 71

FIG. 11 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of a firstreinforcing plate 71.

The first reinforcing plate 71 supports the ultrasonic device 5, and isfixed to the housing 21. Further, the first reinforcing plate 71 isformed of a resin material in order to prevent short circuit of theinterconnections of the flexible board 6 when the first reinforcingplate 71 has contact with the flexible board 6 connected to theultrasonic device 5.

As shown in FIG. 11, the first reinforcing plate 71 has, for example, aroughly rectangular shape in a plan view viewed from the substratethickness direction, and is provided with a first side 71A (−Y side) anda third side 71C (+Y side) parallel to the X direction, and a secondside 71B (−X side) and a fourth side 71D (+X side) parallel to the Ydirection.

The first reinforcing plate 71 is provided with positioning blocks 711along the second side 71B and the fourth side 71D, respectively.Specifically, there are disposed the positioning block 711 located in anarea from a corner part between the first side 71A and the second side71B through a corner part between the second side 71B and the third side71C, and the positioning block 711 located in an area from a corner partbetween the third side 71C and the fourth side 71D through a corner partbetween the fourth side 71D and the first side 71A. These positioningblocks 711 correspond to reference corner parts, and each function as apositioning part when fixing the first reinforcing plate 71 to thehousing 21.

Each of the positioning blocks 711 is provided with first referencesurfaces 711A parallel to the X direction, a second reference surface711B parallel to the Y direction, and a third reference surface 711C anda fourth reference surface 711D crossing the first reference surfaces711A and the second reference surface 711B.

Specifically, the first reference surfaces 711A are ±Y side end surfacesof the positioning block 711, and are planes parallel to the X-Z plane.

The second reference surface 711B is a −X side end surface in thepositioning block 711 located on the second side 71B side, and a +X sideend surface in the positioning block 711 located on the fourth side 71Dside, and is a plane parallel to the Y-Z plane.

The third reference surface 711C is a +Z side end surface of each of thepositioning blocks 711, and has contact with the housing 21. The thirdreference surface 711C is located on the +Z side with respect to thesurface (a fixation surface 712) on the +Z side of the central part ofthe first reinforcing plate 71. Thus, a step 713 is disposed between thethird reference surface 711C and the fixation surface 712, and due tothe step 713, the ±X side end surfaces of the ultrasonic device 5 arepositioned. Here, it is preferable for the height dimension (thedimension in the Z direction) of the step 713 to be equal to or largerthan at least the thickness dimension of the flexible board 6.

The fourth reference surface 711D is a surface forming a reverse surfacewith respect to the third reference surface 711C, and when housing theultrasonic device unit 4 in the housing 21, the second reinforcing plate72 described later is mounted on the fourth reference surface 711D.

It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the fourth referencesurface 711D is disposed in the same plane as the reverse surface 714 asshown in FIG. 11.

Further, the width dimension W4 in the X direction of the positioningblock 711 is smaller than the width dimension W1 of the first slit 641and the width dimension W2 of the second slit 651 (see FIG. 8).

Further, in each of the positioning blocks 711, a surface (a surface onthe opposite side to the second reference surface 711B) crossing thefirst side 71A and the third side 71C forms a guide surface 711E. Theguide surface 711E is a surface parallel to the Y-Z plane, and hascontact with the end edges 612A, 612B, 613A, and 613B when bending thefirst bending part 615 and the second bending part 618 of the flexibleboard 6 along the bending guide part 715.

Further, on the ±Y sides of the fixation surface of the firstreinforcing plate 71, there are disposed the bending guide parts 715along the first side 71A and the third side 71C, respectively. The Y-Zcross-section of the bending guide part 715 has an arc-like shapeprotruding in a direction of getting away from the fixation surface 712,and continuous with the fixation surface 712 and the reverse surface714.

Here, the tip of the protrusion of the bending guide part 715 is locatedon the fixation surface 712 side of the first reference surface 711A.Specifically, the first reference surfaces 711A located on the both endsides of the first side 71A are located at a position shifted from the−Y side end part of the bending guide part 715 extending along the firstside 71A toward the −Y side as much as an amount at least equal to orlarger than the thickness of the flexible board 6. Further, the firstreference surfaces 711A located on the both end sides of the third side71C are located at a position shifted from the +Y side end part of thebending guide part 715 extending along the third side 71C toward the +Yside as much as an amount at least equal to or larger than the thicknessof the flexible board 6.

Further, the distance along the X direction between a pair of guidesurfaces 711E opposed to each other across the first side 71A is roughlythe same as the width dimension W3 in the X direction of the firstconnection part 614 and the first bending part 615 of the flexible board6.

Incidentally, the first reinforcing plate 71 is formed of the resinmaterial as described above, and is therefore lower in strength comparedto the case of being formed of, for example, metal. Therefore, in orderto increase the substrate strength, the first reinforcing plate 71 isprovided with a recessed part 714A disposed on the reverse surface 714,and a metal plate 716 is disposed in the recessed part 714A. The metalplate 716 is disposed on the bottom surface of the recessed part 714A,and does not protrude outward (the −Z side) from the reverse surface714. Thus, even when bending the flexible board 6 on the reverse surface714 side of the first reinforcing plate 71, the flexible board 6 and themetal plate 716 do not interfere with each other.

2-3-2. Configuration of Second Reinforcing Plate 72

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the second reinforcing plate 72 supportsthe second connector section 63.

FIG. 12 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of the secondreinforcing plate 72.

As shown in FIG. 12, the second reinforcing plate 72 has a roughlyrectangular shape having a fifth side 72A, a sixth side 72B, a seventhside 72C, and an eighth side 72D in a planar view viewed from the platethickness direction similarly to the first reinforcing plate 71.

The second reinforcing plate 72 is provided with a connector supportsurface 721 with which the central part (an area where the connectors631 are disposed) of the second connector section 63 has contact, and areverse surface 722 on the opposite side to the connector supportsurface 721. Further, the second reinforcing plate 72 is provided withsecond bending guide parts 723 each curved to have an arc-like shapedisposed respectively in the fifth side 72A and the seventh side 72Cextending along the X direction similarly to the first reinforcing plate71.

Further, the second reinforcing plate 72 is provided with secondpositioning blocks 724 respectively disposed along the sixth side 72Band the eighth side 72D located on the ±X sides similarly to the firstreinforcing plate 71.

The second positioning blocks 724 are each provided with a recessed part724A on a surface on the opposite side to the connector support surface721. The recessed part 724A forms a configuration space S for the firstinflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65 of the flexibleboard 6. Specifically, the width dimension D2 in the Y direction of therecessed part 724A of the second positioning block 724 located on the −Xside is made larger than the dimension D3 (see FIG. 8) from the −Y sideend edge of the first inflective part 64 to the first slit end edge641B, and the dimension D4 (see FIG. 8) from the +Y side end edge of thefirst inflective part 64 to the first slit end edge 641C. Further,although not shown in the drawings, the width dimension in the Ydirection of the recessed part 724A of the second positioning block 724located on the +X side is made larger than the dimension D6 (see FIG. 8)from the −Y side end edge of the second inflective part 65 to the secondslit end edge 651B, and the dimension D7 (see FIG. 8) from the +Y sideend edge of the second inflective part 65 to the second slit end edge651C.

Further, on a surface on the opposite side to the connector supportsurface 721 of the second positioning block 724, there are disposedmount surfaces 724B across the recessed part 724A from each other. Themount surfaces 724B are mounted on the fourth reference surface 711Dwhen storing the second reinforcing plate 72 in the housing 21.

In the present embodiment, the mount surfaces 724B are located on the −Zside (+Z side when stored in the housing 21) of the reverse surface 722.Thus, when mounting the mount surfaces 724B on the fourth referencesurface 711D, between the reverse surface 714 of the first reinforcingplate 71 and the reverse surface 722 of the second reinforcing plate 72,there is formed a space at least equal to or larger than theconfiguration space S for the flexible board 6 that is folded multipletimes and the connectors 621 of the first connector section 62.

The surface on the fifth side 72A side and on the seventh side 72C sideof each of the second positioning blocks 724 forms a second guidesurface 724C for guiding the second opposed edge 651A of the second slit651 of the flexible board 6, and an outer peripheral edge on the −X sideof the flexible board 6.

2-4. Configuration of Housing 21

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 21 is provided with a storage part 211and a lid part 212.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the storage part 211 is a vessel-likemember for storing the ultrasonic device unit 4, and has a sensor window211B in a bottom part 211A, wherein the acoustic lens 54 of theultrasonic device 5 is exposed to the outside from the sensor window211B.

Further, in the bottom part 211A of the storage part 211, there isdisposed a device installation part 213 so as to surround the sensorwindow 211B. The device installation part 213 is formed to have aframe-like shape rising from the bottom part 211A so that four cornersof the first reinforcing plate 71 are fitted into the deviceinstallation part 213.

2-5. Storage of Ultrasonic Device Unit 4 into Housing 21

In such an ultrasonic probe 2 as described above, firstly, theultrasonic device 5 is fixed to the fixation surface 712 of the firstreinforcing plate 71.

Then, the first connection part 614 of the flexible board 6 is connectedto the −X side of the wiring board 53 of the ultrasonic device 5. Thus,the connection terminals of the first connection part 614 and the firstdevice-side terminals 531 are electrically connected to each other,respectively. Further, the second connection part 617 is connected tothe +X side of the wiring board 53 of the ultrasonic device 5. Thus, theconnection terminals of the second connection part 617 and the seconddevice-side terminals 532 are electrically connected to each other,respectively.

On this occasion, the first negative-side end edge 612A of the flexibleboard 6 is made to have contact with (be guided by) the guide surface711E located on the −X side of the first side 71A, and the firstpositive-side end edge 612B is made to have contact with (be guided by)the guide surface 711E located on the +X side of the first side 71A.Further, the second negative-side end edge 613A of the flexible board 6is made to have contact with (be guided by) the guide surface 711Elocated on the −X side of the third side 71C, and the secondpositive-side end edge 613B is made to have contact with (be guided by)the guide surface 711E located on the +X side of the third side 71C.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the case in which the flexible board 6is curved along the X direction in the present embodiment.

Subsequently, the flexible board 6 is curved in a first bending area Ar3(see FIG. 8) including the first bending part 615 parallel to the Xdirection to fold back the end edge on the −Y side of the flexible board6 toward the +Y side. Further, the flexible board 6 is curved in asecond bending area Ar4 (see FIG. 8) including the second bending part618 parallel to the X direction to fold back the end edge on the +Y sideof the flexible board 6 toward the −Y side. It should be noted thateither one of the first bending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4can be folded back first.

Here, as shown in FIG. 13, the end edges (the first negative-side endedge 612A and the first positive-side end edge 612B) of the ±X sides ofthe first bending part 615 and the end edges (the second negative-sideend edge 613A and the second positive-side end edge 613B) on the ±Xsides of the second bending part 618 are guided by the guide surfaces711E to be curved along the arcs of the bending guide parts 715.

Thus, in the flexible board 6, the first bending area Ar3 can be bentalong (in parallel to the X direction) the first side 71A of the firstreinforcing plate 71, and thus, the first device stacking part 616 isstacked on the reverse surface 714 side of the first reinforcing plate71 so as to overlap the first reinforcing plate 71. Further, the secondbending area Ar4 can be bent along (in parallel to the X direction) thethird side 71C of the first reinforcing plate 71, and thus, the seconddevice stacking part 619 is stacked on the reverse surface 714 side ofthe first reinforcing plate 71 so as to overlap the first reinforcingplate 71.

Similarly, in each of the first connector section 62, the firstinflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65, an area located onthe −Y side of the first bending area Ar3 is made to overlap a centralarea Ar5. Further, in each of the first connector section 62, the firstinflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65, an area located onthe +Y side of the second bending area Ar4 is made to overlap thecentral area Ar5.

Further, the first bending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4 ofthe second connector section 63 are guided by the second guide surfaces724C to be curved along the second bending guide parts 723 of the secondreinforcing plate 72, and thus, an area located on the −Y side of thefirst bending area Ar3 of the second connector section 63 and an arealocated on the +Y side of the second bending area Ar4 are made tooverlap the reverse surface of the second reinforcing plate 72.

As described above, when curving the flexible board 6, the first slitend edges 641B, 641C of the first slit 641 and the second slit end edges651B, 651C of the second slit 651 move to the positions to be overlappedwith the central area Ar5. Therefore, even in the case in which theflexible board 6 is folded back in the first bending area Ar3 and thesecond bending area Ar4 to be deformed to have a roughly cylindricalshape, in each of the first inflective part 64 and the second inflectivepart 65, there is formed a shape in which the two first linking parts642 (the two second linking parts 652 in the second inflective part 65)overlap each other only on the reverse surface 714 side of the firstreinforcing plate 71. In other words, the first inflective part 64 andthe second inflective part 65 do not form a cylindrical shape, but areeasily bent toward the reverse surface 714 side of the first reinforcingplate 71.

Further, in the present embodiment, the width dimension W1 in the Xdirection of the first slit 641 in the first inflective part 64 issmaller than the width dimension W2 in the X direction of the secondslit 651 in the second inflective part 65. Therefore, when bending thefirst inflective part 64 and second inflective part 65, the firstinflective part 64 is bent first, and then the first connector section62 is overlapped with the first reinforcing plate 71. Here, since theX-width dimension of the first connector section 62 is smaller than theX-width dimension of the first reinforcing plate 71, the first connectorsection 62 does not project toward the second inflective part 65, anddoes not hinder bending of the second inflective part 65.

Further, by bending the first inflective part 64 toward the reversesurface 714 side of the first reinforcing plate 71, the connectors 621in the first connector section 62 project toward the −Z side.

Then, the first reinforcing plate 71 is fixed to the storage part 211 ofthe housing 21.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the first referencesurfaces 711A and the second reference surfaces 711B of the positioningblocks 711 provided to the first reinforcing plate 71 are made to havecontact with, and then fitted into, the device installation parts 213provided to the housing 21. Thus, the third reference surfaces 711C ofthe first reinforcing plate 71 have contact with the bottom part 211A ofthe housing 21, and the acoustic lens 54 of the ultrasonic device 5projects from the sensor window 211B.

Further, on this occasion, each of the connectors 621 in the firstconnector section 62 is exposed on the opposite side to the bottom part211A of the storage part 211. Then, the terminals disposed on the tip ofthe cable 3 are connected to the connectors 621.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the ultrasonic device unit 4 housed in thehousing 21 viewed from the first inflective part 64 side, and FIG. 15 isa side view viewed from the second inflective part 65 side. It should benoted that the illustration of the second reinforcing plate 72 isomitted in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15.

Subsequently, the second inflective part 65 is bent to overlap thesecond reinforcing plate 72 which supports the second connector section63 with the first reinforcing plate 71. Thus, the mount surfaces 724B ofthe second positioning blocks 724 of the second reinforcing plate 72 aremounted on the fourth reference surfaces 711D of the positioning blocks711 of the first reinforcing plate 71.

On this occasion, since the width dimension W2 of the second slit 651 inthe second inflective part 65 satisfies W2>W1, the second connectorsection 63 does not interfere with the first connector section 62, andthe first inflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65 do notproject outside as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, and therefore,miniaturization of the flexible board 6 can be advanced.

Further, when mounting the mount surfaces 724B of the second reinforcingplate 72 on the fourth reference surfaces 711D of the first reinforcingplate 71, the configuration space S for disposing the flexible board 6and the first connector section 62 is formed between the reverse surface714 of the first reinforcing plate 71 and the reverse surface 722 of thesecond reinforcing plate 72. In the configuration space S, there aredisposed the first device stacking part 616, the second device stackingpart 619, the first connector section 62 bent to be triply overlapped,the second connector section 63 bent toward the reverse surface 722 sideof the second reinforcing plate 72 to be doubly overlapped, theconnectors in the first connector section 62, and the terminals of thecable 3 to be connected to the connectors (the illustration of the cable3 is omitted in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3).

Further, since the connectors 631 of the second connector section 63supported by the second reinforcing plate 72 are exposed on the −Z side,the terminals provided to the tip of the cable 3 are connected to theconnectors 631. Subsequently, the lid part 212 is fixed to the storagepart 211, and the space between the sensor window 211B and the acousticlens 54 is sealed with a resin material such as silicone resin, andthus, the ultrasonic probe 2 is assembled.

3. Functions and Advantages of First Embodiment

In the ultrasonic device unit 4 according to the present embodiment, theflexible board 6 is provided with the device connection section 61, thefirst connector section 62, and the second connection section 63, andthe device connection section 61 and the first connector section 62 arelinked to each other with the first inflective part 64, and the deviceconnection section 61 and the second connector section 63 are linked toeach other with the second inflective part 65. Further, the widthdimension W1 from the device connection section 61 to the firstconnector section 62 in the first inflective part 64 becomes smallerthan the width dimension W2 from the device connection section 61through the second connector section 63 in the second inflective part65.

In such a configuration, when overlapping the first connector section 62and the second connector section 63 with the device connection section61 (the first reinforcing plate 71), the first connector section 62linked to the first inflective part 64 smaller in width dimension can bedisposed on the first reinforcing plate 71 side, and the secondconnector section 63 linked to the second inflective part 65 larger inwidth dimension can be disposed on the side farther from the firstreinforcing plate 71. Therefore, the interference between the firstconnector section 62 and the second connector section 63 can beprevented.

Further, it is not required to double the first inflective part 64 inorder to dispose the first connection section 62 on the firstreinforcing plate 71 side, but it is possible to dispose the firstconnector section 62 to a desired position only by curving the firstinflective part 64. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an increase insize due to bending of the first inflective part 64, and the firstinflective part 64 is prevented from projecting to the outside of theouter edges of the device connection section 61 and the firstreinforcing plate 71, and thus, the miniaturization can be achieved.

In the present embodiment, the first inflective part 64 is provided withthe first slit 641, the second inflective part 65 is provided with thesecond slit 651, and the width dimension W1 in the X direction of thefirst slit 641 is smaller than the width dimension W2 of the second slit651.

In such a configuration, the first inflective part 64 and the secondinflective part 65 become easy to bend with respect to the X directionat positions where the first slit 641 and the second silt 651 aredisposed, respectively. Further, since the first slit 641 and the secondslit 651 are different in width dimension from each other, it becomespossible to easily dispose the first connector section 62 and the secondconnector section 63 at positions where the first connector section 62and the second connector section 63 do not interfere with each other.

In the present embodiment, the width dimension (the dimension from thefirst slit end edge 641B to the first slit end edge 641C) in the Ydirection of the first slit 641 is larger than the width dimension inthe Y direction of the ultrasonic device 5 and the width dimension inthe Y direction of the first reinforcing plate 71. Similarly, the widthdimension (the dimension from the second slit end edge 651B to thesecond slit end edge 651C) in the Y direction of the second slit 651 islarger than the width dimension in the Y direction of the ultrasonicdevice 5 and the width dimension in the Y direction of the firstreinforcing plate 71.

In such a configuration, when curving the flexible board 6 in the firstbending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4 to form a roughlycylindrical shape, the first slit end edges 641B, 641C and the secondslit end edges 651B, 651C are located in the central area Ar5 of theflexible board 6. Therefore, the first inflective part 64 and the secondinflective part 65 fail to form a cylindrical shape, but form the shapein which the two first linking part 642 overlapped with each otherextend from the reverse surface 714 side of the first reinforcing plate71 toward the first connector section 62, and the two second linkingpart 652 overlapped with each other extend from the reverse surface 714side of the first reinforcing plate 71 toward the second connectorsection 63. Therefore, compared to the case in which the firstinflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65 form a cylindricalshape, the first inflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65can easily be bent toward the reverse surface side of the firstreinforcing plate 71.

In the present embodiment, the width dimension in the X direction of thefirst connector section 62 is smaller than the width dimension in the Xdirection of the first reinforcing plate 71 which supports the deviceconnection section 61. Further, the width dimension in the X directionof the second connector section 63 is smaller than the width dimensionin the X direction of the first reinforcing plate 71 which supports thedevice connection section 61.

Therefore, in the case of curving the flexible board 6 in the firstinflective part 64 to bend the flexible board 6, the end parts of thefirst connector section 62 do not project toward the +X side from thethird side 71C of the first reinforcing plate 71, and thus do not hinderthe curve of the second inflective part 65. Further, in the case ofcurving the flexible board 6 in the second inflective part 65 to bendthe flexible board 6, the end parts of the second connector section 63do not project toward the −X side from the first side 71A of the firstreinforcing plate 71. Therefore, it is possible to achieve theminiaturization of the ultrasonic device unit 4 in the case of curvingthe flexible board 6 to overlap the first connector section 62 and thesecond connector section 63 with the first reinforcing plate 71 (thedevice connecting section 61).

In the present embodiment, in the flexible board 6, there are arrangedthe first connector section 62, the device connecting section 61, andthe second connector section 63 in this order along the X direction.

In such a configuration, the first interconnections 661 and the secondinterconnections 662 extending from the device connection section 61toward the first connection section 62, and the third interconnections663 and the fourth interconnections 664 extending from the deviceconnection section 61 toward the second connection section 63 can beformed roughly line-symmetrically with each other. Therefore, even inthe case in which the voltage drop occurs, the transmission/receptionefficiency of the ultrasonic wave output from the first connectorsection 62 side in the ultrasonic device 5 and thetransmission/reception efficiency of the ultrasonic wave output from thesecond connector section 63 side become roughly equal to each other.Therefore, it is prevented that the transmission/reception efficiency ofthe ultrasonic wave significantly lowers in a part of the ultrasonicdevice 5, and the appropriate transmission/reception process of theultrasonic wave can be performed.

Second Embodiment

In the first embodiment described above, there is shown theconfiguration in which the first connector section 62 is disposed on the−X side of the device connection section 61, and the second connectorsection 63 is disposed on the +X side of the device connection section61 in the flexible board 6. In contrast, the second embodiment isdifferent from the first embodiment described above in the point thatthe position of the second connector section 63 is different. It shouldbe noted that in the following description, the constituents havingalready been described are denoted by the same reference symbols, andthe description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a flexible board 6A of the secondembodiment.

FIG. 17 is an X-Z cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic device unit 4when curving the flexible board 6A in the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16, in the flexible board 6A of the second embodiment,the device connection section 61 is disposed on the +X side end part ofthe flexible board 6A. Further, the first connector section 62 isdisposed on the −X side of the device connection section 61 via thefirst inflective part 64.

Further, in the present embodiment, a second connector section 67 isdisposed on the −X side of the first connector section 62, wherein thesecond connector section 67 is linked to the first connector section 62via a third inflective part 68.

Similarly to the second connector section 63 in the first embodiment,the second connector section 67 includes a plurality of (e.g., three)connectors 671, and a plurality of external connection terminals (notshown) is disposed in these connectors 671. Further, similarly to thesecond connector section 63 of the first embodiment, to the externalconnection terminals disposed in the second connector section 67, thereare connected, for example, the (k+1)-th through n-th device-sideterminals (the first device-side terminals 531 and the seconddevice-side terminals 532) of the ultrasonic device 5.

Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the first inflective part 64is provided with the first slit 641 having the width dimension in the Xdirection of W1, and is provided with the first linking parts 642 forconnecting the device connection section 61 and the first connectorsection 62 to each other, respectively on the ±Y sides.

Meanwhile, the third inflective part 68 is provided with a third slit681 having the width dimension in the X direction of W3, and is providedwith third linking parts 682 for linking the first connector section 62and the second connector section 67 to each other, respectively on the±Y sides of the third slit 681.

Here, in the present embodiment, the width dimension W3 (=the widthdimension in the X direction of the third slit 681) in the X directionof the third inflective part 68 is larger than the width dimension W1(=the width dimension in the X direction of the first slit 641) in the Xdirection of the first inflective part 64. Therefore, the firstconnector section 62 and the second connector section 67 do notinterfere with each other, and a sufficient space for connecting thewiring terminals to the connectors 621, 671 can be formed.

Specifically, in the case of storing the ultrasonic device unit 4 in thehousing 21 in the present embodiment, firstly, the device connectionsection 61 is connected to the first reinforcing plate 71 similarly tothe first embodiment. Then, the flexible board 6A is curved in the firstbending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4. On this occasion, inthe present embodiment, the second reinforcing plate 72 is made tosupport the second connector section 67.

Then, the first inflective part 64 is bent to thereby overlap the firstconnector section 62 with the first reinforcing plate 71.

Subsequently, the third inflective part 68 is bent so as to sandwich thefirst connector section 62 between the second connector section 67 andthe first reinforcing plate 71 to thereby overlap the second connectorsection 67 with the first reinforcing plate 71.

On this occasion, since the width dimension W3 in the X direction of thethird inflective part 68 satisfies W3>W1, the second connector section67 does not interfere with the first connector section 62, and at thesame time, the configuration space S with a predetermined distance isformed between the second connector section 67 and the first connectorsection 62 as shown in FIG. 17. Therefore, the connectors 621 of thefirst connector section 62 and the connectors 671 of the secondconnector section 67 are exposed in the configuration space S, and thus,connection of the wiring terminals to the connectors 621, 671 becomeseasy.

Further, since the second connector section 67 is held by the secondreinforcing plate 72, by mounting the mount surfaces 724B of the secondpositioning blocks 724 of the second reinforcing plate 72 on the fourthreference surfaces 711D of the positioning blocks 711, the configurationspace S is maintained similarly to the first embodiment.

Functions and Advantages of Second Embodiment

In the present embodiment, the flexible board 6A is provided with thefirst connector section 62 disposed on the −X side of the deviceconnection section 61 via the first inflective part 64, and the secondconnector section 67 disposed on the −X side of the first connectorsection 62 via the third inflective part 68. Further, the distance (thewidth dimension W1 in the X direction of the first inflective part 64)from the device connection section 61 to the first connector section 62is smaller than the distance (the width dimension W3 in the X directionof the third inflective part 68) from the first connector section 62 tothe second connector section 67.

In such a configuration, when overlapping the first connector section 62and the second connector section 67 with the first reinforcing plate 71for supporting the device connection section 61, the first inflectivepart 64 is curved to overlap the first connector section 62 with thedevice connection section 61. Then, the third inflective part 68 iscurved to overlap the second connector section 67 with the opposite sideto the device connection section 61 (the first reinforcing plate 71) ofthe first connector section 62. Thus, the device connection section 61,the first connector section 62, and the second connector section 67 aredifferently disposed from each other with respect to the Z direction asa result, and can be prevented from interfering with each other.Further, since W3>W1 is satisfied, the configuration space S in whichthe connectors 621 of the first connector section 62 are disposed cansufficiently be ensured, and thus, it is possible to easily connect thewiring terminals to the connectors 621.

Third Embodiment

Then, a third embodiment will be described.

In the second embodiment described above, there is shown the example inwhich the width dimension W1 of the first inflective part 64 and thewidth dimension W3 of the third inflective part 68 have the relationshipof W1<W3. In contrast, the present embodiment is different from thesecond embodiment described above in the point that W3<W1 is true.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing a flexible board 6B of the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 19 is an X-Z cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic device unit 4when curving the flexible board 6B in the third embodiment.

Similarly to the second embodiment, the flexible board 6B in the thirdembodiment is provided with the first connector section 62 disposed onthe −X side of the device connection section 61 via the first inflectivepart 64, and the second connector section 67 disposed on the −X side ofthe first connector section 62 via the third inflective part 68.

Further, in the present embodiment, the distance (the width dimension W1in the X direction of the first inflective part 64) from the deviceconnection section 61 to the first connector section 62 is larger thanthe distance (the width dimension W3 in the X direction of the thirdinflective part 68) from the first connector section 62 to the secondconnector section 67.

In such a configuration, in the case of storing the ultrasonic deviceunit 4 in the housing 21, the device connection section 61 is connectedto the first reinforcing plate 71, and then, the flexible board 6B iscurved in the first bending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4similarly to the first embodiment described above. On this occasion, inthe present embodiment, the second reinforcing plate 72 is made tosupport the first connector section 62.

Then, the third inflective part 68 is bent to thereby overlap the secondconnector section 67 with the first connector section 62. On thisoccasion, the external connection terminals of the connectors 671 of thesecond connector section 67 are exposed on the opposite side to thefirst connector section 62.

Subsequently, the first inflective part 64 is bent to thereby overlapthe first connector section 62 with the first reinforcing plate 71.Since the second connector section 67 has been bent so as to overlap thefirst connector section 62, when curving the first inflective part 64,the second connector section 67 is disposed between the first connectorsection 62 and the device connection section 61 (the first reinforcingplate 71).

Here, since the width dimension W1 in the X direction of the firstinflective part 64 satisfies W1>W3, as shown in FIG. 19, the secondconnector section 67 and the device connection section 61 (the firstreinforcing plate 71) do not interfere with each other. Further, theconnectors 671 of the second connector section 67 are exposed in theconfiguration space S between the first connector section 62 and thefirst reinforcing plate 71, and thus, connection of the wiring terminalsto the connectors 671 becomes easy.

Further, since the first connector section 62 is held by the secondreinforcing plate 72, by mounting the mount surfaces 724B of the secondpositioning blocks 724 of the second reinforcing plate 72 on the fourthreference surfaces 711D of the positioning blocks 711, the configurationspace S is maintained similarly to the first embodiment.

Functions and Advantages of Third Embodiment

In the present embodiment, the flexible board 6B is provided with thefirst connector section 62 disposed on the −X side of the deviceconnection section 61 via the first inflective part 64, and the secondconnector section 67 disposed on the −X side of the first connectorsection 62 via the third inflective part 68. Further, the widthdimension W1 in the X direction of the first inflective part 64 islarger than the width dimension W3 in the X direction of the thirdinflective part 68.

In such a configuration, when overlapping the first connector section 62and the second connector section 67 with the first reinforcing plate 71for supporting the device connection section 61, the third inflectivepart 68 is curved to overlap the second connector section 67 with thefirst connector section 62. Then, the first inflective part 64 is curvedto overlap the first connector section 62, with which the secondconnector section 67 is overlapped, with the device connection section61 (the first reinforcing plate 71). Thus, the device connection section61, the first connector section 62, and the second connector section 67are disposed at respective positions different from each other withrespect to the Z direction as a result, and can be prevented frominterfering with each other. Further, since W3<W1 is satisfied, a spacein which the connectors 671 of the second connector section 67 and thewiring terminals can be disposed can sufficiently be ensured in theconfiguration space S.

Modified Examples

It should be noted that the invention is not limited to each of theembodiments and the modified examples described above, but includesmodifications and improvements within a range in which the advantages ofthe invention can be achieved, and configurations, which can be obtainedby, for example, arbitrarily combining the embodiments.

In the embodiments described above, there is shown the configurationexample in which the device connection section 61, the first connectorsection 62, and the second connector section 63 (or the second connectorsection 67) are disposed along the X direction of the flexible board 6,but this is not a limitation.

For example, it is also possible to dispose the first connector section62 on the −Y side of the device connection section 61, and dispose thesecond connector section 63 on the +Y side. Further, it is also possibleto dispose the first connector section 62 on the −X side of the deviceconnection section 61, and dispose the second connector section 63 onthe +Y side. In either cases, by making the distance between the deviceconnection section 61 and the first connector section 62 in the firstinflective part 64, and the distance between the device connectionsection 61 and the second connector section 63 in the second inflectivepart 65 different from each other, substantially the same functions andadvantages as those of the embodiments described above can be exerted.

Further, there is shown the example in which the two connector sections62, 63 are provided with respect to the device connection section 61,but this example is not a limitation, and it is also possible to providethree or more connector sections. Also in this case, there is adopted aconfiguration in which the distances of the connector sections from thedevice connection section 61 are different from each other. According tothis configuration, the interference between the connector sections canbe prevented.

In the embodiments described above, there is shown the configuration inwhich the first inflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65 arerespectively provided with the slits 641, 651 each having the widthdimension larger than that of the ultrasonic device 5 (the firstreinforcing plate 71) in the width dimension in the Y direction, thisconfiguration is not a limitation.

It is also possible to adopt, for example, a configuration in which noslit is provided to the first inflective part 64 and the secondinflective part 65, or a configuration in which there is disposed a slitshorter in width dimension than the first reinforcing plate 71. Itshould be noted that in the case in which no slit exists, when curvingthe flexible board 6 in the first bending area Ar3 and the secondbending area Ar4, the first inflective part 64 and the second inflectivepart 65 form a roughly cylindrical shape, and thus, the configurationbecomes hard to be curved. Further, if the width dimension in the Ydirection of the slit is shorter than the first reinforcing plate 71,the first reinforcing plate 71 functions as a sidewall for hindering thecurve. Therefore, in these cases, it is preferable to fold the firstinflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65 in the firstbending area Ar3 or the second bending area Ar4 to thereby form aroughly flat plane to deform them into a shape easy to curve.

In the embodiments described above, there is illustrated theconfiguration in which the connectors 621 provided to the firstconnector section 62 and the connectors 631 provided to the secondconnector section 63 each have a long side parallel to the X direction,and the external connection terminals 622, 632 are arranged in the Xdirection, but this configuration is not a limitation. It is alsopossible for the connectors 621, 631 and the external connectionterminals 622, 632 to be arranged along, for example, the Y direction.Further, the number of the connectors 621, 631 disposed in each of theconnector sections 62, 63 is not particularly limited, and can be 1 or2, or it is also possible to dispose four or more connectors.

There is shown the example in which the width dimension in the Xdirection of the first connector section 62 and the second connectorsection 63 is shorter than the width dimension in the X direction of thedevice connection section 61, but this example is not a limitation. Forexample, it is also possible that the width dimension in the X directionof the first connector section 62 and the second connector section 63 islonger than the width dimension in the X direction of the deviceconnection section 61. In this case, by, for example, folding back apart of the end part on the opposite side to the device connectionsection 61 of the first connector section 62 and the second connectorsection 63, it is possible to configure the first connector section 62and the second connector section 63 so as not to project from the deviceconnection section 61 in the planar view.

In the embodiments described above, there is shown the example in whichthe ultrasonic device 5 is provided with the wiring board 53, and thewiring board 53 is provided with the device-side terminals to beconnected to the respective terminals 513D, 514A provided to theultrasonic substrate 51. In contrast, it is also possible to adopt aconfiguration in which the wiring board 53 is not provided, and thefirst connection part 614 and the second connection part 617 of theflexible board 6 are directly connected to the terminals 513D, 514A ofthe ultrasonic substrate 51.

In the embodiments described above, there is shown the example in whichthe ultrasonic device 5 transmits the ultrasonic wave from the substrateopening part 511A, and receives the ultrasonic wave entering thesubstrate opening part 511A. In contrast, it is also possible to adopt aconfiguration in which the sealing plate 52 is disposed on the substrateopening part 511A side, and the ultrasonic wave is output to theopposite side to the substrate opening part 511A.

Further, the transmission/reception column Ch provided with a pluralityof ultrasonic transducers Tr is illustrated as the vibrator elementprovided to the ultrasonic device 5, but this example is not alimitation. For example, it is also possible that each of the ultrasonictransducers Tr can also be configured as a vibrator element.

Further, there is shown an example of the ultrasonic transducer Tr inwhich the ultrasonic wave is transmitted by vibrating the support film512 with the piezoelectric element 513, and the ultrasonic wave isreceived by converting the vibration of the support film 512 into anelectric signal with the piezoelectric element 513, but this example isnot a limitation. For example, it is also possible to adopt aconfiguration in which the ultrasonic wave is transmitted and receivedby vibrating as bulk-type piezoelectric body, and further, it is alsopossible to adopt a configuration in which electrodes opposed to eachother are provided to a pair of film members, and a cyclic drive voltageis applied between the electrodes to thereby vibrate the film membersusing electrostatic force.

In each of the embodiments described above, the ultrasonic measurementapparatus 1 taking an organ in a living body as the measurement objectis illustrated as the ultrasonic apparatus, but this is not alimitation. For example, the configurations of the embodiments and themodified examples described above can be applied to a measurementapparatus taking a variety of types of structures as the measurementobject, and performing detection of defects of the structures andinspections of aging of the structures. Further, the same applies to ameasurement apparatus taking, for example, a semiconductor package or awafer as the measurement object, and detecting the defects of themeasurement object.

Besides the above, specific structures to be adopted when implementingthe invention can be configured by arbitrarily combining the embodimentsand the modified examples described above with each other, or canarbitrarily be replaced with other structures and so on within the rangein which the advantages of the invention can be achieved.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-055390filed Mar. 22, 2017 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ultrasonic assembly comprising: threedirections orthogonal to each other being defined as an X-direction, aY-direction, and a Z-direction; an ultrasonic device that isrectangular-shaped and having a plane along the X-direction and theY-direction, the ultrasonic device having a bottom surface; and aflexible printed wiring board that is generally rectangular-shaped andhaving a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction, the flexibleprinted wiring board being folded along the X-direction and disposed toface the bottom surface of the ultrasonic device, the flexible printedwiring board being overlapped with the ultrasonic device in theZ-direction, the flexible printed wiring board is configured with: afirst member having an end, the end bendably extending toward theultrasonic device, the end being connected to the ultrasonic device; asecond member having a plurality of first external connection terminalsthat are electrically connected to the ultrasonic device; a first bentconnector continuously spanning between the first and second members; athird member having a plurality of second external connection terminalsthat are electrically connected to the ultrasonic device; and a secondbent connector continuously spanning between the first and thirdmembers, wherein, when the flexible printed wiring board is unfolded,the first member of the flexible printed wiring board is positionedbetween the second and third member of the flexible printed wiring boardvia the first and second bent connectors along the X-direction, when theflexible printed wiring board is unfolded, a length along theX-direction of the first bent connector is different from a length alongthe X-direction of the second bent connector, when the flexible printedwiring board is folded, the second member of the flexible printed wiringboard is folded toward the first member of the flexible printed wiringboard with respect to the first bent connector, when the flexibleprinted wiring board is folded, the third member of the flexible printedwiring board is folded toward the first member of the flexible printedwiring board with respect to the second bent connector so that theultrasonic device, the first member, the second member, and the thirdmember are overlapped with each other along the Z-direction, and thefirst member is located closer to the ultrasonic device than the secondand third members, and the second member is located closer to theultrasonic device than the third member.
 2. The ultrasonic assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein the flexible printed wiring board has afirst slit and a second slit, the first slit is located next to thefirst bent connector, and the second slit is located next to the secondbent connector, and a width along the X-direction of the first slit isdifferent from a width along the X-direction of the second slit.
 3. Theultrasonic assembly according to claim 2, wherein a length along theY-direction of the first slit is larger than a length along theY-direction of the ultrasonic device, and a length along the Y-directionof the second slit is larger than the length along the Y-direction ofthe ultrasonic device.
 4. The ultrasonic assembly according to claim 1,wherein, when the flexible printed wiring board is unfolded, a lengthalong the X-direction of the second member of the flexible printedwiring board is smaller than a length along the X-direction of the firstmember of the flexible printed wiring board, and when the flexibleprinted wiring board is unfolded, a length along the X-direction of thethird member of the flexible printed wiring board is smaller than alength along the X-direction of the first member of the flexible printedwiring board.
 5. An ultrasonic assembly comprising: three directionsorthogonal to each other being defined as an X-direction, a Y-direction,and a Z-direction; an ultrasonic device that is rectangular-shaped andhaving a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction, the ultrasonicdevice having a bottom surface; and a flexible printed wiring board,that is generally rectangular-shaped and having a plane along theX-direction and the Y-direction, the flexible printed wiring board beingfolded along the X-direction and disposed to face the bottom surface ofthe ultrasonic device, the flexible printed wiring board beingoverlapped with the ultrasonic device in the Z-direction, the flexibleprinted wiring board is configured with: a first member having an end,the end bendably extending toward the ultrasonic device, the end beingconnected to the ultrasonic device; a second member having a pluralityof first external connection terminals that are electrically connectedto the ultrasonic device; a first bent connector continuously spanningbetween the first and second members; a third member having a pluralityof second external connection terminals that are electrically connectedto the ultrasonic device; and a second bent connector continuouslyspanning between the second and third members, wherein, when theflexible printed wiring board is unfolded, the second member of theflexible printed wiring board is positioned between the first and thirdmembers of the flexible printed wiring board via the first and secondbent connectors along the X-direction, when the flexible printed wiringboard is unfolded, a length along the X-direction of the first bentconnector is different from a length along the X-direction of the secondbent connector, when the flexible printed wiring board is folded, thesecond member of the flexible printed wiring board is folded toward thefirst member of the flexible printed wiring board with respect to thefirst bent connector, when the flexible printed wiring board is folded,the third member of the flexible printed wiring board is folded towardthe first member of the flexible printed wiring board with respect tothe second bent connector so that the ultrasonic device, the firstmember, the second member, and the third member are overlapped with eachother along the Z-direction, and the first member is located closer tothe ultrasonic device than the second and third members, and the secondmember is located closer to the ultrasonic device than the third member.6. An ultrasonic probe comprising: the ultrasonic assembly according toclaim 1; and a housing that houses the ultrasonic assembly.
 7. Anultrasonic probe comprising: the ultrasonic assembly according to claim2; and a housing that houses the ultrasonic assembly.
 8. An ultrasonicprobe comprising: the ultrasonic assembly according to claim 3; and ahousing that houses the ultrasonic assembly.
 9. An ultrasonic probecomprising: the ultrasonic assembly according to claim 4; and a housingthat houses the ultrasonic assembly.
 10. An ultrasonic probe comprising:the ultrasonic assembly according to claim 5; and a housing that housesthe ultrasonic assembly.
 11. An ultrasonic apparatus comprising: threedirections orthogonal to each other being defined as an X-direction, aY-direction, and a Z-direction; an ultrasonic device that isrectangular-shaped and having a plane along the X-direction and theY-direction, the ultrasonic device having a bottom surface; and aflexible printed wiring board that is generally rectangular-shaped andhaving a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction, the flexibleprinted wiring board being folded along the X-direction and disposed toface the bottom surface of the ultrasonic device, the flexible printedwiring board being overlapped with the ultrasonic device in theZ-direction, the flexible printed wiring board is configured with: afirst member having an end, the end bendably extending toward theultrasonic device, the end being connected to the ultrasonic device; asecond member having a plurality of first external connection terminalsthat are electrically connected to the ultrasonic device; a first bentconnector continuously spanning between the first and second members; athird member having a plurality of second external connection terminalsthat are electrically connected to the ultrasonic device; and a secondbent connector continuously spanning between the first and thirdmembers; a memory configured to store a program; and a processorconfigured to execute the program so as to control the ultrasonicdevice, wherein, when the flexible printed wiring board is unfolded, thefirst member of the flexible printed wiring board is positioned betweenthe second and third members of the flexible printed wiring board viathe first and second bent connectors along the X-direction, when theflexible printed wiring board is unfolded, a length along theX-direction of the first bent connector is different from a length alongthe X-direction of the second bent connector, when the flexible printedwiring board is folded, the second member of the flexible printed wiringboard is folded toward the first member of the flexible printed wiringboard with respect to the first bent connector, when the flexibleprinted wiring board is folded, the third member of the flexible printedwiring board is folded toward the first member of the flexible printedwiring board with respect to the second bent connector so that theultrasonic device, the first member, the second member, and the thirdmember are overlapped with each other along the Z-direction, and thefirst member is located closer to the ultrasonic device than the secondand third members, and the second member is located closer to theultrasonic device than the third member.
 12. The ultrasonic apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the flexible printed wiring board has afirst slit and a second slit, the first slit is located next to thefirst bent connector, and the second slit is located next to the secondbent connector, and a width along the X-direction of the first slit isdifferent from a width along the X-direction of the second slit.
 13. Theultrasonic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a length along theY-direction of the first slit is larger than a length along theY-direction of the ultrasonic device, and a length along the Y-directionof the second slit is larger than the length along the Y-direction ofthe ultrasonic device.
 14. The ultrasonic apparatus according to claim11, wherein, when the flexible printed wiring board is unfolded, alength along the X-direction of the second member of the flexibleprinted wiring board is smaller than a length along the X-direction ofthe first member of the flexible printed wiring board, and when theflexible printed wiring board is unfolded, a length along theX-direction of the third member of the flexible printed wiring board issmaller than a length along the X-direction of the first member of theflexible printed wiring board.